Sunday, October 28, 2012

Afghani Official to US GOV: Fire Anham

Afghani Official to US Gov: Fire Anham “Land Mafia” (Kabul Newspaper, 10/10/2012)

HIS EXCELLENCY. President! Make aware the authorities of Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock of their responsibilities/ To President Hamid Karzai
Translation From: “ANHAM IS THE LAND MAFIA, STEALING OUR FARMING LAND. ILLEGALLY CONSTRUCTING FACILITIES. COMPLAINT FILED WITH US MILITARY AUTHORITIES WENT UNANSWERED.” (AFGHAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TO KABUL NEWSPAPER)
Original Source: http://armanemili.com/detail.php?pid=1208
As your Excellency has always been caring and tried to free governmental and private lands seized by land-mafia and economical-mafia with clever deception illegally seized big lands of the government under the name of reconstruction, renovation and restoration with less investment, unfortunately nor the concerned authorities and nor the governmental administrative authorities have taken any action, which caused the big problem for the dwellers of the area, one of the example of such governmental land seizing is in Barikab area of Bagram district of Parwan Province, a logistic company called Anham that it is identity is unknown, deceivingly seized the land from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock under the name of cold-storages.
In this regard resident of the area those are without agricultural land and house that their only livelihood is agriculture, officially requested National Economy Commission, Nongovernmental Organizations, Rural Development, Agriculture & Livestock of the Parliament to distribute the land of Barikab area to them, the said commission sent a letter addressed to Military Contracts Office of USA, but unfortunately no action has been taken.
The dwellers of the area are requesting Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock that is in possession of the land, to distribute the land among indigenous dwellers of the area.
Once again we kindly request HE the President’s attention toward proposal from elders, tribal leaders of the Bagram district and official letter from National Economy Commission, Nongovernmental Organizations, Rural Development, Agriculture & Livestock of the Parliament, hope the land is distributed to the dwellers of the area those who were lived for years under Taliban cruelty that burned all their material and spiritual belongings, that now in the history it will be called the burned-land. With the distribution of this land it will at least be heal to their wounds.

Afghani Official to US Gov: Fire Anham “Land Mafia” (Kabul Newspaper, 10/10/2012)

HIS EXCELLENCY. President! Make aware the authorities of Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock of their responsibilities/ To President Hamid Karzai
Translation From: “ANHAM IS THE LAND MAFIA, STEALING OUR FARMING LAND. ILLEGALLY CONSTRUCTING FACILITIES. COMPLAINT FILED WITH US MILITARY AUTHORITIES WENT UNANSWERED.” (AFGHAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TO KABUL NEWSPAPER)
Original Source: http://armanemili.com/detail.php?pid=1208
As your Excellency has always been caring and tried to free governmental and private lands seized by land-mafia and economical-mafia with clever deception illegally seized big lands of the government under the name of reconstruction, renovation and restoration with less investment, unfortunately nor the concerned authorities and nor the governmental administrative authorities have taken any action, which caused the big problem for the dwellers of the area, one of the example of such governmental land seizing is in Barikab area of Bagram district of Parwan Province, a logistic company called Anham that it is identity is unknown, deceivingly seized the land from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock under the name of cold-storages.
In this regard resident of the area those are without agricultural land and house that their only livelihood is agriculture, officially requested National Economy Commission, Nongovernmental Organizations, Rural Development, Agriculture & Livestock of the Parliament to distribute the land of Barikab area to them, the said commission sent a letter addressed to Military Contracts Office of USA, but unfortunately no action has been taken.
The dwellers of the area are requesting Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock that is in possession of the land, to distribute the land among indigenous dwellers of the area.
Once again we kindly request HE the President’s attention toward proposal from elders, tribal leaders of the Bagram district and official letter from National Economy Commission, Nongovernmental Organizations, Rural Development, Agriculture & Livestock of the Parliament, hope the land is distributed to the dwellers of the area those who were lived for years under Taliban cruelty that burned all their material and spiritual belongings, that now in the history it will be called the burned-land. With the distribution of this land it will at least be heal to their wounds.http://anaham.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/afghani-official-to-us-gov-fire-anham-land-mafia-kabul-newspaper-10102012/

ANHAM: QUESTIONABLE BILLING, GAO SAYS

ANAHAM USA- POOR GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT GOES UNDETECTED FOR QUESTIONABLE BILLING ACCORDING TO INSPECTOR GENERAL

ANAHAM USA- POOR GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT GOES UNDETECTED FOR QUESTIONABLE BILLING ACCORDING TO INSPECTOR GENERAL

ANHAM USA QUESTIONABLE COSTS & POOR GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT GAO REPORT

ANHAM suckers Pentagon into Grossly Overpaying for Simple Parts

ALLGOV Reports: ANHAM suckers Pentagon into Grossly Overpaying for Simple Parts

October 12, 2012--ALLGOV REPORTS: “A Dubai-based contractor has been accused of overbilling the Department of Defense by more than $4 million for work in Iraq. According to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), Anham LLC and its subsidiary, Pioneer Iraqi Trading Co., made the Pentagon pay $900 for an electronic control switch valued at $7.05. Anham overbilled for a $183 circuit breaker, instead charging $4,500. The Pentagon also paid $3,000 for a $94.47 circuit breaker and $80 for a piece of drain pipe valued at $1.41. And Anham charged $20,000 to plug in a loudspeaker system.
The egregious billings were part of a $300 million contract awarded to Anham by the Pentagon, which has paid the contractor nearly $4 billion for projects in Iraq and Afghanistan.
SIGIR also discovered that a member of the family group that owns 50% of Anham also owns a 90% share in Pioneer, although this relationship was never disclosed to the Defense Contract Management Agency.
Anham is a provider of vehicles and other transportation, construction, facilities management, procurement, food, power generation, health management, surveillance and training services.
The company has refuted SIGIR’s findings, saying the auditor’s “conclusions are false, without legal or factual justification.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
July 2011: Quarterly Report and Semiannual Report to Congress (Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)

Media Source: http://www.allgov.com/news/where-is-the-money-going/pentagon-suckered-into-grossly-overpaying-for-simple-parts?news=843063

IRON MILL Reports: IS ANHAM WASTING PENTAGON MONEY

IRON MILL Reports: IS ANHAM WASTING PENTAGON MONEY
October 1, 2012--According to IronMill News service,  The mission of Iron Mill Interactive Media Inc. DBA Iron Mill News Serviceis the distribution of fresh and accurate news that is of critical importance to the people of America and the World.Iron Mill News Service seeks to recruit independent Journalists to widen our objectivity and knowledge base.

Here’s a jaw-dropping example reported by Bloomberg.
anham, A U.S. contractor in Iraq overbilled the Pentagon by at least $4.4 million for spare parts and equipment, including $900 for an electronic control switch valued at $7.05, according to a new audit. Based on the questionable costs identified in a $300 million contract with Dubai-based Anham LLC, the U.S. should review all its contracts with the company in Iraq and Afghanistan, which total about $3.9 billion, said Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen. “The audit found weak oversight in multiple areas that left the government vulnerable to improper overcharges,” Bowen wrote in the forward to his 30th quarterly report, released today. The contract in question was funded with a combination of money earmarked for Iraqi Security Forces and Army operations and maintenance funds. Among the “egregious examples of overbilling” by Anham were $4,500 for a circuit breaker valued at $183.30, $3,000 for a $94.47 circuit breaker and $80 for a small segment of drain pipe valued at $1.41.
Those mark-ups are absurd, but I wonder whether this example from the story is even worse.
In other cases, Anham used subcontractors to purchase items that could have been bought directly from the manufacturer at lower prices, the report said. When Anham was asked to buy a loudspeaker system to alert warehouse employees of any danger, it chose not to buy the system directly from the manufacturer at the retail price of $44,615, the report said. Instead, Anham sought bids from subcontractors and paid a company called Knowlogy $90,908. That price included $20,000 for installation, even though the system setup meant little more than wheeling it into place and plugging it in.
I think I made a mistake becoming a policy wonk. I could have a great career as a loudspeaker installer.

Media Source: http://www.ironmill.com/2011/08/09/is-pentagon-waste-even-more-egregious-than-welfare-state-waste/

Anham LLC accused of outrageous overbilling US GOVERNMENT

Source: http://mssparky.com/2011/07/anham-llc-accused-of-outrageous-overbilling-in-iraq/all/1/
 

Anham, Dubai Firm Overbilled $900 for $7 Switch, Bowen Says
By David Lerman and Tony Capaccio – Jul 29, 2011 9:01 PM PT
A U.S. contractor in Iraq overbilled the Pentagon by at least $4.4 million for spare parts and equipment, including $900 for an electronic control switch valued at $7.05, according to a new audit.
Based on the questionable costs identified in a $300 million contract with Dubai-based , the U.S. should review all its contracts with the company in Iraq and Afghanistan, which total about $3.9 billion, said Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen.
“The audit found weak oversight in multiple areas that left the government vulnerable to improper overcharges,” Bowen wrote in the forward to his 30th quarterly report, released today. The contract in question was funded with a combination of money earmarked for Iraqi Security Forces and Army operations and maintenance funds.
Among the “egregious examples of overbilling” by Anham were $4,500 for a circuit breaker valued at $183.30, $3,000 for a $94.47 circuit breaker and $80 for a small segment of drain pipe valued at $1.41.
Bowen’s office called for an in-depth review of the entire contract after discovering “significant weaknesses” in government oversight, questionable competition practices and possible undisclosed ownership affiliations between Anham and some of its subcontractors.
Anham officials didn’t immediately respond to a phone call to its headquarters office or an e-mail seeking comment.
Development Spending
Bowen’s latest tally of spending shows that six months before the remaining 46,000 U.S. combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq, the Pentagon, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, since the Iraq war began, had executed 34,728 contracting actions or grants totaling $35.9 billion.
The special inspector general, created to serve as a watchdog over U.S. reconstruction aid in Iraq, questioned almost 39 percent, or $4.4 million, of the $11.4 million in contract costs it reviewed.
Those costs, it said, “appear to be not fair and reasonable or were not properly documented.”
In one case, , an Anham subcontractor, charged the U.S. $900 for a water level control switch that a competitor had offered for $7.05.
–~~~~~~~~~~~~–
Undisclosed Ties
A member of the family group that owns, through a subsidiary, 50 percent of Anham also owns a 90 percent share in Pioneer, though this relationship was never disclosed to the Defense Contract Management Agency, which oversees military contracts, Bowen’s office found.
“The lack of transparency regarding the relationship between Anham and its subcontractors calls into question whether Anham used due diligence to ensure that the U.S. government received a fair price for the goods and services it purchased,” the inspector general’s report concluded.
In other cases, Anham used subcontractors to purchase items that could have been bought directly from the manufacturer at lower prices, the report said.
When Anham was asked to buy a loudspeaker system to alert warehouse employees of any danger, it chose not to buy the system directly from the manufacturer at the retail price of $44,615, the report said.
$20,000 Setup
Instead, Anham sought bids from subcontractors and paid a company called Knowlogy $90,908. That price included $20,000 for installation, even though the system setup meant little more than wheeling it into place and plugging it in.
Privately held Anham LLC is a contracting firm for projects throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. It provides vehicle, transportation, construction, facilities management, procurement, food, power generation, health management, surveillance and training services.
Based on all the questionable costs it found, the special inspector general “believes that all costs under this contract should be carefully examined, as well as all contracts awarded to Anham,” the report said.
The U.S. military awarded Anham in September 2007 the Iraq contract, with a ceiling price of $300 million to operate and maintain two warehouse and distribution facilities in Abu Ghraib and Umm Qasr, Iraq.
The contract, at its conclusion, had obligations of $119.1 million, of which at least $55 million was spent by subcontractors, the report said.
The contract was structured on a “cost-plus” basis, meaning the government must reimburse Anham for all its costs, instead of agreeing to a fixed price.
The Central Command Joint Theater Support Contracting Command, which awarded the contract, partially agreed with Bowen’s recommendations. The Defense Contract Management Agency agreed to perform a new review of Anham’s purchasing system. (click HERE for the original article)

ANHAM NAMED IN NATIONAL CORRUPTION INDEX

ANHAM NAMED IN NATIONAL CORRUPTION INDEX

Anham
Last Updated: October 28, 2012

After a firm founded by a close associate of Ahmad Chalabi – the former head of the Iraqi National Congress who provided much of the false intelligence offered to justify the U.S. invasion – saw its $327 million war contract revoked by the Pentagon, Anham won the second round of bidding.

But Anham turns out to be that same firm with a twist – it has backing from companies with ties to Marvin Bush, President George W. Bush’s brother.

ANHAM’s predecessor is Nour USA, founded in 2003 by Chalabi’s friend A. Huda Farouki. In 2004, Nour won a huge, critical contract to provide Iraq’s armed forces with necessary equipment – everything from compasses to trucks. (The U.S. military could have done the same job without the added expense of privatization, but the Administration created the contract anyway.)

Nour USA won the contract with a suspiciously low bid –  $327 million. Several experts said that the equipment would cost $500 million, before adding the costs of transporting it. And Nour, a fledgling firm with no real military procurement experience, beat out military contracting giants like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

It did so partly with the help of William Cohen, the former Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton. His firm, The Cohen Group, formed an Iraq Task Force to win Iraq rebuilding contracts for clients. Nour was one of its first beneficiaries, winning an $80 million contract to protect Iraq’s oil fields from sabotage. Since then, several audits have found that efforts to secure Iraq’s oil fields have largely failed. Insurgent attacks on the industry in 2006 cost $8 million a day.

After vociferous protests by more established military contractors, the Pentagon canceled Nour’s contract and opened the bidding again.

Anham emerged the victor from that round, bidding even lower -- $259 million, still far below what many say would be needed. It was headed by Farouki, but boasted partnerships with several other companies, including three firms backed by Marvin Bush’s investment firm, Winston Partners. According to blogger Margie Burns, the firms have even less military experience than Nour; they are Hobart West, a personnel-services company; LogoTel, a clothing company; and Axolotl, a medical computer-services company.

Because the Pentagon canceled Nour’s contract and re-bid it, delays piled up in sending equipment to the Iraqi military. Later audits found the entire procurement system rife with fraud, with $2 billion missing and much of the equipment substandard.

Anham kept the procurement contract, and went on to win others, including a $10 million project to build a vocational school in Afghanistan and a $16 million project to create a records database for the Iraqi National Police.

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Defense | Functionaries

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